Do you need a new or newer tractor?

Do you do your own maintenance? Are you an experienced shade tree mechanic?

There are many older tractors out there that will fill the bill for $10,000 or less. They are also much easier to work on.

One of mine (I have two) is a 1965 John Deere 1020 model. About 35hp, 2WD, easy to work on and always runs.

Thinking 2WD vs 4WD - do you NEED 4WD? It’s nice, sometimes necessary, but may not be required. Land contour is relevant here. Steep areas? Soft areas? Maybe you need it. Relatively flat, solid ground? Don’t need it. Even with snow, 4WD isn’t absolutely necessary. Why not just get 4WD? Cost. Initial cost is higher and maintenance and repair can be expensive.

Love attending auctions? Excellent way to find a tractor.

Kubota - excellent brand, well designed, very good machines. Not simple, not complex - to work on. Not cheap
Old Deere (like mine) simple, easy to maintain, cheaper to buy, parts are still available.
Newer Deere? Less that 20 years old? Not as heavily built as older ones. A bit more complex to work on.

Compare a 35hp Kubota to a 35hp old Deere? Both are good machines. The old Deere weighs 1,000 pounds more. This is helpful, beefy weight that makes it a durable beast.
The Deer I have used to be called “mid-sized” and salesmen called them Utility tractors.
If you do your own maintenance parts for both brands are available on-line. Close dealer support is certainly nice, but not a deal breaker in my choice of brands.

quote:

Originally posted by LincolnSixEcho:
I should have stated that the tractor I looked at was the LA 526 and LA 535. I was told it’s like the L2502.

LA 526 and LA 535 are model numbers for the loader attachment. 526 and 535 represent the weight capacity of the loaders in kilograms.

I've got a MX5100 that I couldn't live without. I can lift almost everything I need to except a 300 gallon tote full of water. Just don't have the ass to hold the rear down, even with fluid filled tires and an implement as ballast on the back. Need a dedicated 2500# ballast I guess

There are package deals you can get depending on location that would include the tractor, a brush mower, loader, and possibly a snow blower (if not, it would most likely be discounted) Kubota has 0% interest more often than not too which makes it easier to swallow financially. Add a hay spike front and rear and you'd have a weapon for moving hay.

I had a Kubota B2920 in my last home. I know this 29HP tractor is too small for your needs but my comment is directed at the front mount snowblower it powered in the Montana winters. It was a beast. I never had a situation where the blower couldn't handle the drifts. With 4 wheel drive and without chaines, it performed flawlessly.

All good stuff here guys. Lot to digest. I’ll research some stuff based on what was suggested and then let you all know when I make a decision and what I end up with. Thanks!

Be prepared,
Tractors are like boats,jeeps and AR's.

There are many dozens of bolt ons, add ons, gadgets, gizmos, tools and attachments.

( Money pits)

quote:

Originally posted by bendable:
Be prepared,
Tractors are like boats,jeeps and AR's.

There are many dozens of bolt ons, add ons, gadgets, gizmos, tools and attachments.

( Money pits)

I’m starting to see that the rabbit hole is deep with these things.

WE have two Kubota tractors on the farm. Fantastic machines. One of them has several thousand hours running at RPM tach speed on a hammermill feed grinder without a hiccup.

The smallest is 110 HP, so I can't really comment on the more compact machines.

Buy one size bigger than you think you need.

Round bales can be made to size by the baler operator. So if you know your hay guy, you can specify a smaller diameter to keep the weight down. It will cost a little more per ton, because he will have more net wrap used, wrapping more bales of smaller diameter. But it shouldn't be a big difference.

quote:

Originally posted by ScreamingCockatoo:
My ugly little Kubota

[FLASH_VIDEO]<iframe frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pwXuLJrmIjg" width="560"></iframe>[/FLASH_VIDEO]

Old tractors are beautiful!!!

quote:

Originally posted by LincolnSixEcho:

quote:

Originally posted by bendable:
Be prepared,
Tractors are like boats,jeeps and AR's.

There are many dozens of bolt ons, add ons, gadgets, gizmos, tools and attachments.

( Money pits)

I’m starting to see that the rabbit hole is deep with these things.

I put autosteer on my John Deere 4955 this spring. Best $2k I ever spent!

quote:

Originally posted by LincolnSixEcho:


I figure I’ll also need a snowblower and a mow deck. I mostly need to rough cut as it is all pasture grass so should I go rear pull behind vs. belly mower? And what about snowblower? I have read that many people go rear attach snowblower though that seems awful having to back up to blow snow the whole time all the while twisting the back and neck.

I have an aftermarket swivel seat with air ride on my planter tractor. It was installed by the previous owner, but now I wouldn't be without it. Instead of cranking my neck, I just spin a quarter turn around.

^^^^^^ great info IndianaBoy!

If buying new, get an enclosed cab.

Much safer, much more protective, and much better resale.

If bees/ground hornets are a thing in your area, an enclosed cab will make shredding much safer.

No matter where you are, it will be more pleasant.

+1 on the cab.

Also agree wholeheartedly with the "go bigger than you think you need" comments, ESPECIALLY if dealing with round bales. A smaller tractor may lift it, but the first time you see daylight under a rear wheel while traveling from Point A to Point B with a bale on the spear, you'll understand...

quote:

Originally posted by Aglifter:
If buying new, get an enclosed cab.

Much safer, much more protective, and much better resale.

If bees/ground hornets are a thing in your area, an enclosed cab will make shredding much safer.

No matter where you are, it will be more pleasant.

Given the topic is "small farm tractor" I guess I'll offer a counter to that blanket statement. Sure if you anticipate using your tractor out in the sun all day long in 90+ degrees, or having to blow snow for hours in single digit temperature, a cab would be very desirable.

But for the average hobby farmer or landowner who doesn't need to work large tracts of land, who just bush hogs a couple fields a few times a year, moves hay, stone and other material with the loader, works trails on wooded property, grades the driveway, mows the 5-10 acre estate, etc., a cab certainly isn't necessary and can often be undesirable. Not to mention if you happen to enjoy working outdoors in open air rather than being cooped up in a noisy glass enclosure. Adding a cab makes the tractor tippie because it adds a fair amount of weight and it's all up high raising the COG. Having a cab is a real PIA doing stuff that requires getting off and on the tractor a lot, leaning over to see under the side, and using a cab tractor in the woods is really cumbersome, as well limiting where it can even go. Plus if you use it in the woods it will get damaged.

Then there's the substantial extra cost that a cab adds. Kubota offers a wide line of compact tractors so let's compare two that run about the same price, LX3510 mid size compact with cab. And Grand L4060 large frame compact open station.



LX3520 HST cab; base tractor lists for $37,000, 1.5L 3 cylinder 35hp, is 54" wide, 101" long, 9" ground clearance, 9.5 gpm hydraulic flow, loader lifts 1065#

L4060 HST Plus, no cab; tractor lists for $35,000, 2.4L 4 cyl, 42hp, is 66.5" wide, 121" long, 14" ground clearance, 14.1 gpm hydraulic flow, loader lifts 1,715#.

Or comparing the same exact tractor without cab and with cab.
LX3520 HST open station $28,000
LX3520 HST with cab $37,000

So with a cab you get much less tractor for the same money, or you pay much more money just to have a cab on the same tractor.

I bought a 2501hst 4wd with 60" bucket. Also added a top for it. I mainly plow snow and mow fields with it. I used it to do a lot of site work on a house build also. Great little tractor. Not a cab but the top was a great addition.
Also got the Mini ex. for more rigorous tasks. Love Kubota eq. Can't go wrong.

HenryAZ and BRL, who is in the tractor business, have their stuff nailed.

We have a 25 acre horse farm, and have two compact tractors on property. One is a 91 to 96 Massey Ferguson that was built by Iseki in Japan. Great tractor, but totally gear driven, with range selector, ground speed selector, and F/N/R shuttle lever. Great tractor, very stable, and although only 28 HP, very capable and powerful. has a BushHog branded loader on it, which is quite powerful, but with all the levers, you look like a juggler if you are doing any significant loader work.

Also have a 2015 John Deere 3032e, which has a H/L range lever, and then pretty much everything else is controlled by hydraulic foot pedals. Much easier to operate (no clutch, no multiple control levers, etc.) but not as capable, even though it is 32 HP. It's track isn't as wide, so it isn't as stable, and the lifting power of the loader is less.

Something to consider with all of these small tractors is that even with a couple of hundred pounds of bush hog on the back, and water filled rear tires, they can get pretty dancey on the front tires when there is a lot of weight in the loader. I.e., the loader will pick loads that will cause the machine to try to tip forward when moving, stopping, or traversing uneven ground. Just because the loader will lift it, doesn't mean it is safe to drive around with it.

Good luck. Not much more useful on a small farm than a decent 4wd tractor with hydraulic lift.

ETA: Be aware of the 5 hp/foot bush hog rule. You need at least 5 hp at the pto for each foot of bush hog cut width. I.e., 25 hp at the pto for a 5' bush hog. Note that there is a loss of power between the rated engine power and the pto shaft that can be significant, depending on the mechanical connection between the two. For example, even with 32 shaft horsepower on the John Deere, we still went with a 5' hog, not a 6' unit, and it still can bog in really heavy pasture.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: ArtieS,

My journey with tractors began with a vintage model that, despite its age, never let me down. The ease of maintenance and the robustness of these machines have convinced me that, for many tasks, the latest isn't always the greatest. The decision between 2WD and 4WD really does hinge on your land's topology and usage needs, just like you mentioned.

In my search for parts and advice, I've found Wickham Tractor/ to be a reliable resource. They understand the nuances of both vintage and modern tractors, providing insights and parts that have been crucial for my maintenance efforts.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: mac_220,

quote:

Originally posted by ArtieS:
Something to consider with all of these small tractors is that even with a couple of hundred pounds of bush hog on the back, and water filled rear tires, they can get pretty dancey on the front tires when there is a lot of weight in the loader. I.e., the loader will pick loads that will cause the machine to try to tip forward when moving, stopping, or traversing uneven ground. Just because the loader will lift it, doesn't mean it is safe to drive around with it.

Absolutely! When I use my loader with the bucket for gravel or am lifting anything that weighs more than a few hundred pounds, I use the ballast box which adds almost 1,000 pounds to the 3ph. Even with plenty of ballast, keep the load low and drive slowly. Pictures of compact tractors tipped on their sides with a round bale stuck on the spears are all over the internet.